Experience the Difference Between ChMeetings and Breeze Church Management Today!
Do you struggle to decide whether ChMeetings is a suitable Breeze alternative for your church?
This guide will help you see what the difference are in terms of cost and features; so you can then decide which platform provides you with the most value.
Table of Contents
What is ChMeetings?
ChMeetings is an all-in-one Church Management platform, built by Jios Apps Inc, offering various features for churches of all sizes and denominations. ChMeetings started operating in 2018 with essential ChMS features to help churches transition from paper-based membership management to streamlined, cloud-based processes. Today, it has grown into a comprehensive platform that includes most of the features churches require to keep up with our times. ChMeetings now makes it fast and easy to manage members, organize events with registration and check-in, book appointments, create follow-ups, manage accounting, collect online giving, and more.
What is Breeze church management?
Breeze started independently in 2015 and was acquired by Tythe.ly in 2021. Breeze simplifies church management by providing a cloud-based solution that facilitates member management, member access, event management, giving, form creation, automation, and more. Breeze aims to make it simpler for churches to do their work; which reflects into all of their ecosystem – from the flat rate pricing to the app’s user interface.
To save you time, here’s a short breakdown of the pros and cons:
- ChMeetings might be a good choice if:
- You want to pay based on your church size and avoid extra fees.
- You absolutely need features such as easy-to-manage paid events, appointments, accounting, or mobile push notifications.
- You want a solution that keeps up with current technologies and makes updates often.
- Breeze might be a good choice if:
- You are comfortable paying a potentially higher flat rate.
- You don’t necessarily need a church website builder or you don’t mind paying extra for it.
- You need text-giving features right now and can’t wait for it to be available later.
Chmeetings vs Breeze: Which Offers the Best Value for Money?
ChMeetings Can Be Free Forever
ChMeetings is free forever for churches with up to 50 people. There are fewer features available, but we cover more than the essentials. You can’t send email with a free account; for security reasons; but you can do all of the below:
- Store up to 50 members and give them access to the app (including the mobile app).
- Create up to 5 custom people profile fields.
- Create groups.
- Manage events.
- Send text messages (with your phone plan or a paid SMS package).
- Share calendars.
- Create follow-ups.
- Create and share forms.
- Manage user permissions.
- Import data into ChMeetings.
- Customize the app language - choose from 20 available languages.
Baseline Costs Are Lower With ChMeetings
ChMeetings vs. Breeze Billing
ChMeetings bills according to the number of people you want to manage; while Breeze practices two flat-rate plans, one limited to 100 people (2 admins) and a reduced set of features, and another offering unlimited people and the full set of features.
Costs For Churches With Limited Budgets
If you are a smaller church; you may want to reduce your costs and only choose the features you need. In this case, you can choose ChMeetings Free, or go with our Very Small Plan, which gives you 100 people with no admin limitations, and access to features like online giving or paid events, which can help boost income for $12/month or $120/year. This is, as far as we can tell, the equivalent of Breeze Basic, which provides roughly the same features, for the same price.
If you require more features than our Very Small Plan, then you can go up to ChMeetings Small, which costs the same as Breeze Basic per month ($25), but costs less per year (ChMeetings costs $250 Breeze Basic costs $300). Despite the cost difference, Chmeetings’ Small Plan offers many more features:
- Up to 250 people and no admin limitations (vs. 100 people and 2 admins offered by Breeze Basic)
- Included mobile app, for both admins and members
- Volunteer Scheduling
- Service Planning
- Family Checkin
- Email Designer for advanced, drag-and-drop email editing
- Accounting
- Appointments
- Member Portal
- 22 languages to choose from
So, overall, if all you need are the features offered by Breeze Basic, you can opt for ChMeetings Very Small and pay half the price. If you need more features and have to choose between Breeze Basic and ChMeetings Small, then the latter option offers much more value for the same price (or even for a lower price if paid annually).
If your church is medium-sized and needs to store 500-1000 people, then ChMeetings offers lower prices for the same set of features as Breeze’s standard plan. With ChMeetings, you pay $40/month ($400/year) for 500 people and $50/month ($500/year) for 1000 people. Breeze costs $72/month with no annual discount.
ChMeetings Small Vs. Breeze Basic
You may be interested in a direct comparison of ChMeetings Small and Breeze Basic because they cost the same: $25/month (if you do not consider annual discounts). Below is a comparison table showing the features included with each option.
We conclude that ChMeetings Small is much more valuable than Breeze Basic, for the same price or less. Moreover, Breeze Basic is an almost 1-to-1 equivalent of ChMeetings Very Small, which costs less than half the price.
| Feature | ChMeetings Small $25/month $250/year billed annually | ChMeetings v.Smal $12/month $120/year billed annually | Breeze Basic $25/month $300/year. No annual billing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of people stored | 250 | 100 | 100 |
| Admin users | 250 | 100 | 2 |
| Member Directories | |||
| Groups | |||
| Mass Communication | |||
| Advanced, drag&drop email editor | |||
| Event Registration & Payment | |||
| Child Checkin | |||
| Volunteer Scheduling | |||
| Service Planning | |||
| Attendance Tracking | |||
| Calendar | |||
| Appointments | |||
| Forms | Create, Share, Manage Collect digital signatures | Create, Share, Manage Collect digital signatures | Create, Share, Manage Collect Payments |
| In-Person & Online Giving | |||
| Online Giving Fees | - processed externally Starting at 2.2% + 0.3c using Stripe in the USA and Canada. Costs may vary for other countries. | - processed externally Starting at 2.2% + 0.3c using Stripe in the USA and Canada. Costs may vary for other countries. | - processed internally 2.9%+0.3c in the USA. Costs may vary for other countries. |
| Giving Management | |||
| Giving Statements | |||
| Accounting | |||
| Member Portal (desktop and mobile) | |||
| Multilingual App (desktop and mobile) |
Costs For Churches Requiring Unlimited People
If you are running a larger church with more requirements, you may benefit from a ChMS with unlimited members management; in this case, you would pay $60 per month with ChMeetings and $72 per month with Breeze. ChMeetings also provides an annual plan with which you pay for 10 months instead of 12. Breeze does not bill annually.
Further Cost Analysis
Some costs are difficult to determine, so you must analyze them and decide what best fits your needs. Let’s explore this aspect below.
Think About Messaging Costs
We suggest that you think about the messaging costs in the context of each platform’s billing methods and user options. You may prefer a specific method, even if it may cost more; or vice-versa: you may want to pay less regardless of other factors.
- ChMeetings does not include any free text messages. You can; however, use your phone plan to send them; and depending on your mobile carrier, you might already have unlimited texts included. So, you can simply go to someone’s profile in ChMeetings, tap to send them a message and choose your phone plan for billing. Alternatively, you can purchase text packages from ChMeetings, which are charged at market-specific prices. For the USA, for example, the most affordable package costs $10 for 1000 standard GSM messages. This means 1 cent per message.
- Breeze includes 250 free messages and charges additional texts at 1.9 cents per message. There is no option to send texts using your phone plan. So, the cost of sending 1000 standard GSM messages with Breeze within the US would be about $19.
Analyze Online Giving Fees
ChMeetings does not process payments internally and charges no online giving fees. We work with Stripe and PayPal to process giving transactions. Accordingly, all you pay is their transaction fees.
Breeze manages payment processing for the USA and Canada internally, so they charge fees for the service. For other countries, Breeze works with Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, and Tithe.ly giving.
Online giving fees can certainly add up; but luckily, both ChMeetings and Breeze let you ask donors to cover the fees. Even so, not everyone might choose to; so you may still need to pay some transaction costs for the donations you collect online.
While both platforms provide reliable and secure payment processing methods, you may want to examine the fee structure in detail to ensure you get the best price and features package. This comes down to choosing who facilitates your payment collection and what else they provide besides plain payment processing. That said, if you have a preference or are already using a specific provider, you won’t have to worry about this aspect when choosing between Breeze and ChMeetings.
See If You Need A Church Page Or Website
The Member Portal Builder Is Free With ChMeetings. Any ChMeetings paid plan gives you access to the Member Portal Builder, which you can use to build a page for your church if you want to. It’s not necessarily designed to be a website builder, but you can use it as such. The pages you build with it can be the in-app homepage for members; but you can also share it publicly using your ChMeetings church URL. This page is built into your church app, so you can use it to keep people updated with everything going on in your community. So, if you don’t have an online page for your church yet, and you don’t want anything too complex, you don’t have to spend more money to create one.
With Breeze, the Website Builder (using Tithe.ly sites) is included in a bundle that costs $119 per month and lets you build a website that integrates to your church app as an extension that lets you embed some church app features into your website.
Cost Breakdown
| Feature | ChMeetings | Breeze |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | ||
| Number of People / User Accounts | 50-Unlimited | 100-Unlimited |
| Number of Admins | 50-Unlimited | 2-Unlimited |
| Monthly Base Price | $0-$60/month $0-$600/year | $25-$72/month No annual billing |
| Optional Branded App | $50 / month $500 / year With unlimited members, the total cost is up to $110/month or $1100/year. | - with Breeze Bundle, which takes your monthly cost at $119/month. With unlimited members, the total cost is up to $119/month or $1428/year. |
| Church Webpage Builder | - as an In-App Page Builder | $19 / month Based on Tithe.ly Website Builder |
| Text Messages | Extra Cost Packages Available Market-Specific Pricing US Price: 1 cent/message | 250 messages included Additional messages cost 1.9 cents/message |
| Online Giving Fees | ChMeetings charges no giving fees. The payment processors (Stripe or PayPal) charge transaction fees. | Breeze processes US & Canada payments themselves. See fees. For payments in other countries, Breeze uses PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net or Tithe.ly Giving |
Feature Comparison
Both ChMeetings and Breeze are modern, user-friendly platforms that provide numerous features that will improve your church work. However, each church has its own needs, which is why, in this section, we will compare ChMeetings and Breeze features by focusing on the major differences between the two platforms. We will discuss the features that both platforms offer, and then look into those that are exclusive to one or the other. We will then continue with a comparison table which will provide a more detailed list of features available with each solution.
Features Included With Both ChMeetings and Breeze
- Mobile App: Let’s begin with the mobile app, which is essential to any church today. Both ChMeetings and Breeze include one and you can find them by searching Google Play or the Apple App Store, There is; however, a crucial difference: ChMeetings offers member access via the mobile app for free; while Breeze App only includes an Admin Mobile App with the standard plan. Members can only access a church app if your church signs up for the $119 bundle that includes the Church App.
- Free Data Import: Both providers will import your data for free if you sign up - in the case of ChMeetings, this service is not included with the free plan but is complimentary for all paid plans.
- Advanced, drag-and-drop email editor
- User accounts: Both apps allow you to create user accounts and let members access the app; though note that with Breeze, member access is limited on the mobile app, unless you sign up for the $119/month bundle Only admins can use the mobile app with the standard plan.
- Events with Calendars, Checkin, Volunteer Scheduling, and Service Planning are available with both apps.
- Giving: Both provide comprehensive giving features; including online giving or pledges.
- Automations are available in both apps
- Integrations and a developer API.
- Optional, Branded App: Both solutions offer an optional, Branded Mobile App. A Media Library is included with this app in both cases.
Both ChMeetings and Breeze let you organize paid events, but each platform does it in a particular manner. We suggest examining both to see what suits you best.
In a nutshell:
The ChMeetings Events module includes dedicated options to manage and view event registrations and to charge for church events. You also get features that encourage people to register; such as promo codes and discounts, the option to pay later, or to grant refunds. Paid tickets are associated with each event, which makes it easy for you to navigate them.
Breeze manages event registration and payment via forms. There is no link between the registration form and the event. The only way to connect forms with events is to use them as an eligibility criterion (e.g.: only form respondents can attend an event). There is no dedicated registration section for events, so you must find event-related data among your forms.
ChMeetings-Exclusive Features
Here are the features that are available with ChMeetings and not with Breeze:
- Voice Messaging: You can use a ChMeetings message credit package to send voice messages.
- Mobile Push Notifications: With ChMeetings you can send mobile notifications to people who are logged into the mobile app. This feature is included with all paid plans and is unlimited.
- Appointments:This feature lets you book appointments between people in your church. It’s fast, easy, and accessible to both servants and members.
- Accounting: The ChMeetings Accounting module lets you manage accounts, funds, transactions, or budgets, reconcile accounts; or run dedicated reports. While this module does not claim to be an advanced accounting suite, it’s great for churches that don’t need complex tools, because you can do your accounting right within ChMeetings with no need for external tools. If you are using them; however, you can easily integrate with Quickbooks and other similar tools via Zapier.
- Blog: You can host a blog right within the ChMeetings app. Members can find it in the app menu, read your content, like and comment.
- Elections: This feature offers the tools that larger churches need to run elections; from candidacy to the voting process to counting and showing results. This feature is only available with the Unlimited plan and the Diocese Account.
- Optional, Branded Mobile App: ChMeetings provides the option to have a branded mobile app, based on ChMeetings. It is listed separately on Google Play and the Apple App Store, under the name of your church; not as ChMeetings. Our team handles the entire development process and lists it in the stores, ready for your members to download. This service costs $45 / month or $450 / year in addition to your ChMeetings plan. With Breeze, this service is coming soon and there is no pricing information available yet.
- Diocese Accounts: ChMeetings offers additional features to large Dioceses; including centralized management while keeping church autonomy, the option to be hosted on a private database, a dedicated domain, and more. Breeze does not offer such accounts.
Breeze-Exclusive Features
Here are the features that are available with Breeze and not with ChMeetings:
- Text Giving: Breeze lets your members give via SMS. The service is linked to the online giving feature, so people still need a credit card or bank account and internet access to give. When giving for the first time, they will receive a link to the online giving page where they must provide payment information. When giving again later, all they have to do is send a text with the amount they want to give and their submitted payment method will be charged. This feature is coming soon from Chmeetings as well.
- Payments Via Forms: With Breeze, you can create and share forms through which you can accept payments. This feature can be used for various purposes, including collecting giving during surveys, or charging for services or events.
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | ChMeetings | Breeze |
|---|---|---|
| Free Mobile App | - For Admins and Members | - Admins Only |
| Free Migration | ||
| Customizable People Profiles | ||
| Unlimited Email | ||
| SMS Text Messaging | ||
| Voice Messaging | ||
| Unlimited Mobile Push Notifications | ||
| Member Access | ||
| Member Directory | ||
| Webpage Builder | - (Built-in, Included) | - (Extension, Extra Cost) |
| Blog | ||
| Calendars | ||
| Events | ||
| Paid Events | ||
| Volunteer Scheduling | ||
| Check-In & Child Check-In with Name Tags Printing | ||
| Service Planning | ||
| Appointments | ||
| In-Person Giving | ||
| Online Giving | ||
| Text Giving | - (Coming Soon) | |
| Giving Statements | ||
| Giving Reports | ||
| Pledges | ||
| Forms | ||
| Accept Payments Via Forms | ||
| Follow-Ups | ||
| Accounting | ||
| Elections | ||
| Automated Tasks | ||
| Reports | ||
| Integrations & API | ||
| User Roles and Permissions | ||
| Ministries | ||
| Daily Automated Backups | ||
| Free Support by Real Humans | ||
| Diocese Accounts | ||
| Optional Branded App | - Billed separately | - Billed as a bundle |
| Multiple Languages | - (22) |
Future-Readiness
A key aspect to consider is whether the ChMS platform you choose is ready to support your church for long-term growth. To do that, your solution of choice must also grow and release features that churches need to keep up with the times. Let’s take a look at how future-ready ChMeetings and ChurchTrac are:
Chmeetings Is Better Equipped For The Future
Being ready for the future means keeping up with the fast-changing technological world. it’s worth considering how future-ready your chosen solution is. Frequent updates mean that your chosen solution provider is mastering current technologies and delivers the best value and the modern features your community expects. A low number of updates may mean that the company developing your chosen solution cannot keep up for some reason. Therefore, your church, as the customer, would be slower in implementing the tech that your members and servants want to see.
When comparing ChMeetings with Breeze, we can notice a significant difference in product update frequency. ChMeetings releases updates every two weeks on average; while Breeze releases about twice a year.
ChMeetings Already Released Most Of The 2024 Roadmap
In the beginning of 2024, we have announced 7 upcoming major updates. Out of those, 3 have already been released: Appointments, Accounting, and Service Planning. Still coming up this year are the Email Designer, Workflows, the Online Store, and Summer Camps; as well as Text Giving, which we later added to our roadmap.
Breeze has not announced a 2024 roadmap. Their latest announcement dates from April 2023, when 5 major updates were announced. Out of the 5, at least two have not yet been released since then (event check-in with air print, and custom apps). Breeze has not published any roadmap for 2024 and the last product update is 3 months old at the time of writing this comparison.
Hear from the Churches That Made the Move to ChMeetings
ChMeetings vs. Breeze FAQ
How much does Breeze Church Management cost?
Breeze starts at $25/month for the Basic plan, its highest disclosed cost being $119/month for their Ultimate plan. Breeze offers custom plans for large churches of over 2000 members.
ChMeetings offers tiered pricing based on the number of people in your database. Plans start at $12/month for 100 people and go up to a maximum of $60/month for unlimited members, making it very affordable for all churches.
What are the fees for Breeze payments?
Breeze uses Breeze Payments, which charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for credit/debit cards,
ChMeetings doesn’t include a native payment processor, but it can integrate with third-party services like PayPal or Stripe, meaning fees vary based on your provider. Fees start at 2.2% + $0.30 per credit/debit card transaction, using Stripe.
Does Breeze have a bookkeeping feature?
Breeze includes contribution tracking and reporting but not a full accounting module.
ChMeetings tracks contributions and provides related reports, but it also comes with a built-in accounting module that lets churches track accounts along with income and expense streams, link with their bank, create budgets, reconcile accounts, generate financial reports, and more.
Between ChMeetings and Breeze, which is more suitable for small churches?
ChMeetings is generally more affordable and scales well for small churches. It offers a free tier and low-cost plans for under 100–250 members.
Breeze, while popular, may be pricey for very small churches which may find their lowest plan less feature-rich than what ChMeetings offers for the same price or less.
Between ChMeetings and Breeze, which is more suitable for large churches?
Breeze can handle large churches, but it’s best suited for small to mid-sized congregations due to its simpler feature set.
ChMeetings offers advanced features and plans that may scale better with larger organizations – For example, their Diocese Plan or Branded Church App.
Can Breeze and ChMeetings be used for event and volunteer management?
Yes, Breeze includes event management, check-in features, and volunteer tracking.
ChMeetings also supports these features and goes further with features like signup sheets which volunteers can use to assign themselves to the roles and events they prefer, thus reducing admin work.
Is support included with Breeze and ChMeetings?
Yes, both apps come with free support regardless of your plan.
Is there a free version of Breeze or ChMeetings?
Breeze does not offer a free version, only a free trial.
ChMeetings offers a free version for churches with up to 50 people, which is great for very small or new ministries.